The Criterion

Famous as the site that Doctor John Watson is approached to
consider a potential flat share, the real Criterion bar stands in
the centre of London's Piccadilly Circus.

The site has a relatively storied past in its use onscreen in
Sherlock. The Criterion bar appeared as itself in the original
unaired pilot version of A Study in Pink, but the location was
unavailable by the time it came to shoot the meeting of Watson and
Stanford for the final version, necessitating a re-location to
Russell Square Gardens.

For the Victorian set meeting of the pair, The Famous Royal Navy
Volunteer pub in Bristol was substituted instead. Known locally as
'The Volley', this pub sits along King Street, one of the oldest
streets in Bristol. King Street was laid out in 1650 and completed
in 1663, where it was named in honour of King Charles II, the
reigning monarch.